Challenge: Build a Fighter 2 / Wizard X!

Ciaran

First Post
Okay, here’s the skinny. I’m creating a character for a new game, and I’m planning on a fighter/wizard of the Elric school: skilled in swordplay, gifted with magic, but not usually slinging battle magics in combat. Instead, he’ll rely on buffs and enchanted items to boost his combat abilities, and his spell selection will lean heavily towards utility spells, divinations, and high-duration summoning spells like planar binding. (If you remember my earlier Mage/Rogue thread, this is the same guy with a slightly modified concept.)

Now, here’s the kicker. Since the DM didn’t want to allow feats from non-core books on the grounds that players without those books would be at a disadvantage, I offered to compile a list of non-core feats for use by the players. He’s also allowed me to add feats from online sources and even some that I’ve designed myself. The upshot of this is that, in creating my character, I’ll have access to pretty much any reasonable feat; if it’s not on the list, I can add it. :)

With far fewer combat-useful feats available to me than to a fighter of equal level, I have to allocate those feats with care. So here’s the challenge: given these circumstances, with a free hand to include feats from any source (as long as they’re not broken; I’m not trying to build a munchkin character, just a cool one that allows me to play without being overly sub-optimal in combat situations), how would you allot feats for such a character up to 20th level?

Here are the character’s stats, based off the DM’s ridiculously excessive point allocation (84 points, allocated anywhere): Str 14, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 16, Wis 10, Cha 12. Yes, a higher Int would be more effective, but I just don’t see him as being quite that smart.

Thanks in advance!

- Eric
 

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mystraschosen

First Post
Bump the dex up alot,make him an incredibly dexterious little bugger.I mean super - supernaturally agile.As for what feats to take I hesitate to recommend any as you know best what you want him to be skilled in. Also make him uber charismatic,impossible not to like him.He walks into a bar and everybody rushes him trying to be his friend.....(these would be good chances to pick alot of pockets if you have a rogue in the party(hehe.
 

Elder-Basilisk

First Post
Ignore the previous poster. He's telling you how to build a wizard/rogue. You really don't need dex any higher than 16. Depending upon your equipment, that may be too high in fact.

Speaking from a strictly power-gaming perspective, I'd drop two points off of your charisma and put them in strength. (Your base attack bonusses won't be too high so you'll need every bit of help you can get). I'd consider dropping two points off of your int and putting them in strength as well. You can use your stat increases when you level to boost your int as well as magic items. And since you don't plan on blasting things with fireballs, etc. save DCs won't be as much of an issue as they otherwise would.

If spellsword is available in your campaign, I'd consider dropping the second level of fighter too. You'll want a good caster level and spellsword sacrifices it. If spellsword isn't available in your campaign, you'll want to build your character differently.

Starting out:
Familiar--Toad is the obvious power gaming option. You'll need lots of con if your hit dice are d4s. You can make the combo work with a different familiar (weasel might be good for the reflex save bonus or owl or something else for whatever reason you come up with; I can only give powergaming advice here because it's your character and you decide what's in character for him).

Note: If you don't have access to Spellsword you'll have to deal with Spell failure. I think it's endurable with a mithral chain shirt (and easily eliminated with 2 levels of Spellsword that way too). However, if you don't like spellsword or don't have access to it, you may wish to either revise the list a bit or learn still spell.

Classes:
This character isn't religiously focussed but if he were, this would be a good combo--I think it's the optimal combo for the kind of character you're building:
Ftr 1/Wizard 8/Spellsword 2/Templar 1/Sacred Exorcist 8.
Other good combos:
Ftr 2/Wizard 6/Spellsword 2/Candlecaster, Alienist, Mage of the Arcane Order, or Elemental Savant 8.
Ftr 1/Spellsword 4/Wizard or prestige class 15. Can wear a mithral breastplate with no spell failure
Ftr 2/Wizard 18
Ftr 4/Wizard 16 A reduced caster level option
Ftr 1/Wizard 9/Spellsword 10 Another reduced caster level option (clvl 14) but can wear mithral fullplate and a large mithral shield with no arcane spell failure.

Feats: These are feats you want to think about combining and ways you can do it.
Weapon Focus: A very good feat for you since your attack bonus will be hampered by your wizard levels.
Weapon Specialization: an obvious choice if you get four fighter levels. That means giving up 9th level spells though. A religious character could get it through a Templar level.

Combat Reflexes/Expert Tactician/Large and In Charge: Focussing in reach weapons can work well for the fighter/wizard--especially if combined with Polymorph Self. If you go the polymorph route, you might even pick up Large and In Charge (S&F) for use in polymorphed form. Expert Tactician (S&S) builds upon this chain and has nice synergy with Glitterdust, Blink, Blindness/Deafness, Improved Invisibility, Shout, Color Spray, PW Stun, etc. If you don't have access to the others, Combat Reflexes is good in itself though.

Power Attack/Cleave: Power attack has marginal synergy with True Strike (you're often better off attacking twice though). Cleave is always useful for melee characters--particularly at low levels.

Dodge/Mobility/Spring Attack: Very good for a reach weapon character as spring attack limits you to one attack anyway (in which case, lack of iterative attacks is less significant.

Extend Spell/Persistent Spell: Extend Spell is useful for a horde of buffs; Persistent Spell is useful for Shield, Expeditious Retreat, Blink, and the detect spells (Undead, Thoughts, Secret Doors, etc). If you have access to it and shield hasn't been nerfed, it's great. If Shield is nerfed, it's very marginal for a fighter/wizard.

Spell Penetration/Greater Spell Penetration: Your caster level will be low so you'll need these if you want to effect high SR critters.

Spell Focus/Greater Spell Focus: If you drop your int, you'll need these to get decent DCs for your spells but if your focus is buffing not blasting you might not need them.

Expertise/Improved Trip/Improved Disarm: Expertise can be helpful for making your AC only hittable on a20. Improved Trip would be handy if you are polymorphed into something large and strong (since it's size mod+strength only on the opposed check, you're quite likely to reliably win). Improved Disarm is nice for use with true strike but unnecessary--if you use a reach weapon, they can't take an AoO and they probably won't hit anyway.

Empower Spell: Very useful for buffs and dispels.

Combat Casting: Don't touch it with a 10 foot pole. It'll be tempting but you'll regret it later on. Just max out concentration instead.

A sample character build:
Ftr 2/Wizard 8/Spellsword 2/Mage of the Arcane Order 8
Combat Reflexes, Power Attack, Cleave, Weapon Focus: Guisarm, Expertise, Improved Trip, Cooperative Spell (prereq), Extend Spell, Spell Penetration, Empower Spell, Greater Spell Penetration.

This character is built around reach, polymorph self, and trip manuevers. If non-core sources aren't available, he's Ftr 2/Wizard 18 with Spell Focus: Transmutation or Great Fortitude and Lightning Reflexes.

Spells to watch for:
Level 1:
Mage Armor-looks tempting but mithral chain shirts are better even with spell failure.
Shield-your bread and butter
True Strike-looks better than it is but still quite useful.
Magic Missile-At low levels you'll be better with weapons but it'll be useful at higher levels.
Protection from Evil-good additional protection if you've got prep time.
Enlarge-looks much better than it is. Low strength increase for short duration. File it under "useless spells"
Burning Hands-Very good from level 5-8 or so. You're up front anyway.

Level 2:
Blur-Don't be fooled, this should be 1st level and even then wouldn't be that good.
Bull's Strength-Your bread and butter. If the cleric is willing to cast it on you though get cat's grace beforehand.
Cat's Grace-Another bread and butter spell
Endurance-you should usually live without it. By the time you'll have enough free slots to cast it, you should have bracers of health.
False Life (T&B)-It stacks with Bracers of Health
Glitterdust-blind your enemies: a bread and butter spell
Resist elements-Good if you're an abjurer; otherwise wait.
See Invisibility-You'll need access to it at high levels.

Level 3:
Blink: a bread and butter spell if you have Expert Tactician or if Haste is nerfed in your campaign
Dispel Magic: Excellent if you're an abjurer. Otherwise let people with full caster levels do this.
Displacement: A solid defensive spell
Fly-Very good mobility. And if you've got a reach weapon, you can fly above the battlefield and use it on those below you without much risk of retribution.
Greater Magic Weapon: Very useful at high levels or if there are archers in the party
Haste-a bread and butter spell
Protection from elements-it'll have to do until you get Energy Buffer if available; otherwise live with it forever.
Slow-Deadly against foes

Level 4:
Fire Shield: Not too useful since you're focussing on a high AC and it only works when you're hit. Would work well in combination with Stoneskin
Improved Invisibility:
Polymorph Self: A bread and Butter spell
Stoneskin: Good but expensive

Level 5: Energy Buffer, Persistent Shield

Level 6: Tenser's Transformation, Eyebite (you can use it while you fight).

Level 7: Limited Wish (Divine Power would make Tenser's Transformation give you a better BAB than a fighter, Righteous might would be ugly if you were already polymorphed into a troll, Holy Sword is nasty by itself pluss it's got lots of other uses); Iron body looks tempting but would only work well in concert with Fire Shield. Otherwise, a double empowered bull's strength will give you more strength.

Level 8: Mind Blank

Level 9: Foresight

Best of luck to you.
 

A Fighter/Wizard has two main weak points in fighting ability, low hitpoints and low BAB, so you'll need a combat style that offset those weaknesses. The best way is to keep people away from you (reach) and use combat options that don't depend on high attack bonuses. Trip attacks are simple touch attacks followed by an opposed Strength check, so your best weapons are the Guisarm and the Spiked Chain. For spells, look for ones that don't require somatic components, or have long durations so you can cast them before putting on your armor. For those spells you simply need to cast, get Still Spell or wands. Wands don't require spell failure checks, so you can still bust out the Summon Monster IVs and Fireballs, althouhg Lightning Bolt may be slightly more useful for you. At high levels Quickened Spell can also be useful. Here's a list of non-Somatic spells. http://www.geocities.com/dragar.geo/Grim/nocomponents.html
Unfortunately there's not much on there with much pure power, but you can probably find several good spells in non-core books like Relics and Rituals. I remeber this one called Dragon's Breath that could be useful for frontline fighters.

As for items, get your usual bunch of Con and Str boosters, as well as several weapons, because you may be dropping them quite often with failed Trips. You can choose what armor you like, but I recommend either Chain Shirts if you want to use spells on the go, or Full Plate for protection, of course Mithril versions of either are better.

Feats:
EWP: Spiked Chain (optional)
Expertise
Trip
Weapon Focus
Quickdraw
Combat Casting
Still Spell
 

Ciaran

First Post
Thanks for the replies! Unfortunately many of your suggestions don't really apply to the concept; yes, a spiked chain may work better than a sword, but I like swords! And I don't think there are any spiked chains on this continent of the game world anyway. :)

I'm surprised, though, that every single feat suggested came from the PHB. As I said in my original post, I can use feats from anywhere: splatbooks, third party supplements, netbooks, board postings, etc. Are the PHB feats so good that there's no point in looking elsewhere? :confused:

- Eric
 

Chun-tzu

First Post
The must-have feat for a fighter-wizard that comes to mind is Reduced Spell Failure, from Path of Magic. It lowers your Arcane Spell Failure by 10%.

It would be easier to choose your class levels before your feats, because that would determine which feats you need as prerequisites, and how many bonus feats you get, if any.
 

Gaiden

Explorer
Trust me on this one - make your fighter mage smart.

Fighter 2, Wizard 6, Bladesinger 2, Candle Caster 10

Feats:

Weapon Focus - Long Sword
Combat Casting
Scribe Scroll
Still Spell
Dodge
Expertise
Combat Reflexes
Expert Tactician
Power Attack
Quicken Spell


Tactics - wear mitrhil breast plate with sheild, protection from evil, haste, and polymorph. Cast most buffing spells into out of candles so as not to worry about spell failure. Cast all nonsomatic spells normally. Cast all somatic containing spells that are not in candles stilled.

At higher levels you should be able to cast multiple quickened true strikes.

Make sure you deny opponent dex via invisibility, blink, or some other means.

Such a character will have an incredibly high AC - Dex + Int + Armor (+enhancements) +NA (Polymorph) + Dodge + Haste + Protection from Evil + Expertise. If you really want to make him unhittable go ahead and get superior expertise.

He will have an incredible attack bonus with tensor's transformation and divine power (from limited wish). Before those spells you can use bull's strength and enlarge.

Make sure to cast true strike every round for your lowest attack. Either with haste, with your standard action if you have experti tactician, or with a quickened spell if you have access to 5th level spells. When you do this you can use expertise and power attack and dish out some serious damage. At higher levels you will have more attacks than a fighter of equivalent level and have 3 at your highest BAB and your lowest attack you can use true strike on.

With the candle abilities you can use them for true strike as well and use the ability that has the second spell take effect after the first for two true strikes in the same round not counting any quickened spells or spells cast that round. Also, when hasted, you can effectively net 5 spells a round. 1 Quickened, 2 from each candle you light.
 

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